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Friday Round-Up: Russell Wilson Recalls A Musical Bond He Shared With Paul Allen

Quarterback Russell Wilson revisits a time he and late Seahawks owner Paul G. Allen shared a moment over Frank Sinatra's 'New York, New York' following Seattle's NFC Championship win in the 2013 season. 

Good morning, 12s.

Here's a look at what's 'out there' for today - Friday, October 26 - about your Seattle Seahawks:

Wilson Remembers Allen

Paul G. Allen died during the Seahawks' bye week, passing away two Mondays ago from complications of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. With the club back at team headquarters this week preparing for Sunday's road game against the Detroit Lions, it marked one of the first opportunities for Seattle players to offer public comments on what the Seahawks owner meant to them and to the organization as a whole.

When Russell Wilson met with the media Thursday, the Seahawks quarterback did just that, responding to a question about Allen by stating, "Paul meant a lot to everyone here in this building. I don't think this building would be the same in the sense of where we'd be right now without his commitment to Seattle, to the Seattle Seahawks, to the players. I think that he was always a guy that trusted the people that was around him and that he put in charge to really build this culture. I think obviously coach (Pete) Carroll, I think coach has done a tremendous job of doing that. I think (general manager) John Schneider has done a tremendous job of doing that too.

"More importantly, I think that when we think about legacy, of what we all want in our lives, no matter how much we have, how little we have – I think that ultimately it's the people that we can affect and the causes and the things that we can get behind and the impact that we can make. Whether if it's the whole world like Paul did, or if it's just our community in our own worlds. I think Paul was able to do that in so many different ways."

Wilson said he and his wife Ciara spoke with Allen the week before he passed. Their conversation wasn't about football but about music, which was one of Allen's greatest passions. Wilson reminisced about a moment he shared with Allen following the Seahawks' NFC Championship victory during the 2013 season over the San Francisco 49ers, a win that propelled Seattle to a Super Bowl XLVIII victory over the Denver Broncos in New York/New Jersey.

"I'll never forget this," Wilson began. "Being on stage and we're singing Frank Sinatra. We're headed to New York and everything and 'Come Fly With Me' and everything else. We're headed to New York and everybody's excited and everybody's just – the confetti is flying around and everything else, and I'm singing, I can't sing very good. So, I'm singing and everything else and Paul comes up to me and he goes, 'you like Frank?' I said, 'yeah, I like Frank, I've always listened to it.' I'm a huge Michael Jackson fan. Michael Jackson, Frank Sinatra, Rat Pack, everything else.

"Sure enough, I didn't know Paul loved music that much. Sure enough the next day, I had a little note, and it had a bunch of old CDs of his that he had, just personal CDs and everything else of his that he had of the Rat Pack and Frank Sinatra. It was just a cool little gift, you know, of just thinking about music and everything else. Nothing huge, but just the kind of person that he was."

Allen, of course, enjoyed countless endeavors outside of sports and music, and as Wilson noted, the Microsoft co-founder's massive philanthropic efforts have touched and will continue to touch the lives of many around the world.

"Obviously, we're definitely going to miss Paul a lot," Wilson said. "I think that he's been a big factor, not just for the Seattle Seahawks, but for Seattle – and really the whole world, all the things that he did. He will forever be in our hearts for sure."

Social Post Of The Day

Today's 'Social Post of the Day' comes from the Seahawks Pro Shop, which shares some positive news for fans looking to pick up Chris Carson or Michael Dickson jerseys anytime soon.

More From Around The Web

Here at Seahawks.com, John Boyle previews the competition Seattle is preparing for in a trio of former Seahawks, with Luke Willson, DeShawn Shead, and Golden Tate all now members of the Lions.

Linebacker K.J. Wright and tight end Ed Dickson are excited to be back in action this weekend for the Seahawks.

Six Seattle players, including Wright and Dickson, returned to full participation in practice on Thursday.

The Seattle Times shares NFC West awards for Week 8.

The Athletic staff previews Sunday's game between the Seahawks and Lions.

710Sports.com offers three Seahawks to watch on Sunday in Detroit.

The Seahawks and Lions face off on Sunday, Sept. 17, 2023 at Ford Field. Kickoff is set for 10:00 a.m. PT. Take a look back through history at the Seahawks' matchups against the Lions.

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